A new scourge has been found on the streets of Ottawa. Another form of street harassment has been unmasked, and though it may not be overt as FHRITP or catcalling, it is no less dangerous.

Luke Howard, a hypnotist and so-called Pickup Artist, or PUA, has patrolled downtown streets striking up conversations with women, secretly recording the encounters. The videos are then uploaded to YouTube to act as instructional or motivational videos for other men to learn how to be “daygamers“, showing that they, too, can harass random women.

PUA culture is a blight on mankind, emphasis on man. Generally speaking, the PUA’s aim is to score with as many women as possible. It is not about romance or relationships or mutually-satisfying sexual encounters. It is about the conquest.

In response to the community reaction, Howard put up a statement on his website claiming that “it’s making women’s day” and that “talking to women in the daytime is a beautiful thing” as if women are exotic nocturnal creatures who would never have conversations if it weren’t for pickup artists secretly filming themselves approaching them on the street.

Howard spoke to these women in order to help other men speak to women. He used them for the benefit of men. This is contempt, not caring.

Howard claims that 99.9% of the women liked it. This is the lie that chauvinists throw around: women dress certain ways or act certain ways because they want the attention of men. It is one of the most basic elements of rape culture.

Let’s put aside the idea that he actually knows what 99.9 per cent of the women he accosts think. Why might Howard truly believe that 99.9 per cent of women like this (aside from naked narcissism)? Because it is quite possible that the women he videotaped were nice to him.

In response to the outing of Howard, some Ottawa women started the Twitter hashtag #CorneredInOttawa for women to share their experiences with street harassment. It is stomach-churning, but sadly not surprising, to hear what some men will put women through just because they are women.

Women must quickly learn how to respond to street harassers. Ignore them, and they’ll keep pushing. Be nice, and they’ll take it as an invitation for more. React with hostility, well then you’re labelled as a bitch who deserves further abuse. It is always lose-lose.

So Luke Howard approached these women – many of whom have said they felt cornered – acted strangely by asking them questions out of the blue for his hidden viewers, and they remained civil. It is far more likely that they wanted to avoid enraging a man much larger than they than they were actually, you know, into it.

The beauty of cities often lies in its sidewalk life. This is where people gather, shop, socialize and people-watch. A vibrant sidewalk makes for a vibrant neighbourhood and a vibrant city. But sidewalks must offer both vivacity and security. The mentoring of men in PUA culture attacks our sidewalks, making them uncomfortable, and also unsafe, for women.

Thankfully, we have the proverbial online sidewalk. Howard was caught by members of the online community Reddit. He was outed on Twitter, and, eventually, the media. This is what we, as a community, must do. Howard may have broken no laws – street harassment is not necessarily criminal harassment – but he made women feel uncomfortable in public spaces. Ottawa residents were right to call him out.

Everyone must provide this sort of pushback. We mustn’t accept this wretched behaviour staining our streets and neighbourhoods. We must speak out, demonize this behaviour and make our city streets safer.

Jonathan McLeod is a general fellow with the Canadian Council for Democracy. He writes about local matters at stepsfromthecanal.wordpress.com.

Editor’s note: An earlier version erroneously said the hashtag was started by Hollaback! Ottawa.

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